Upon his arrival, after a brief visit of the residential building,
the Pope went to the garden of the retirement home where he met the guests,
volunteers and members of the Sant’Egidio Community. Here is the text of his
address.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Dear Sisters,

I am truly happy to be with you in this Retirement Home of the
Sant’Egidio Community, dedicated to the elderly. I thank your President,
Professor Marco Impagliazzo, for the warm words he addressed to me. With him, I
greet Professor Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community. I thank the
auxiliary bishop of the Historic Center, Bishop Matteo Zuppi, the president of
the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, and all the
friends of the Sant’Egidio Community.

I come among you as Bishop of
Rome, but also as an elderly man visiting his peers. I know well the
difficulties, the problems and the limits of this age, and I know that for
many, these difficulties are aggravated by the economic crisis. Sometimes, at a
certain age, one looks to the past recalling when one was young, enjoyed fresh
energies, made plans for the future. So, at times, our look is clouded by
sadness, considering this phase of life as the time of decline. This morning,
ideally addressing all the elderly, in the awareness also of the difficulties
that our age entails, I would like to say to you with profound conviction: it
is beautiful to be elderly! It is necessary to discover in every age the
presence and blessing of the Lord and the riches it contains. We must never let
ourselves be imprisoned by sadness! We received the gift of a long life. It is
lovely to live also at our age, despite some “aches and pains” and some
limitations. On our face there must always be the joy of feeling ourselves
loved by God, never sadness.

In the Bible, longevity is considered a blessing of God; today
this blessing has spread and must be seen as a gift to appreciate and value.
Yet often society, dominated by the logic of efficiency and profit, does not
receive it as such, instead it often rejects it, regarding the elderly as
non-productive, useless. Felt many times is the suffering of those that are
marginalized, who live far from their home or in loneliness. I think that we
should act with greater commitment, beginning with families and public
institutions, so that the elderly are able to stay in their own homes. The
wisdom of life, of which they are bearers, is a great richness. The quality of
a society, I would say of a civilization, is also judged by the way the elderly
are treated and the place given to them in ordinary living. Those who make room
for the elderly make room for life! Those who received the elderly receive
life!

From its beginning, Sant’Egidio Community has supported so many
elderly, helping them to stay in their environments of life, opening several
retirement homes in Rome and in the world. Through solidarity between young
people and the elderly, it has helped to make it understood how the Church is
effectively the family of all generations, in which each one must feel “at
home” and where the logic of profit and having does not reign but that of
gratuitousness and love. When life becomes fragile, in the years of old age, it
never loses its value and its dignity: each one of us, in whatever stage of
existence, is wanted and loved by God, each one is important and necessary (cf.
Homily for the Beginning
of the Petrine Ministry, April 24, 2005).

Today’s visit is in the context of the European Year of Active
Ageing and Solidarity between generations. In fact, it is in this context that
I wish to confirm that the elderly are a value for society, especially for the
young. There cannot be real human growth and education without a fruitful
contact with the elderly, because their very existence is like an open book in
which the young generations can find precious directions for life’s journey.

Dear friends, at our age we often experience the need of others’
help; and this is true also for the Pope. We read in the Gospel that Jesus said
to the Apostle Peter: “when you were
young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old,
you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where
you do not wish to go” (John 21:18).
The Lord was referring to the way in which the Apostle would witness his faith
unto martyrdom, but this phrase makes us reflect on the fact that the need for
help is a condition of the elderly. I would like to invite you to see also
in this a gift of the Lord, because it is a grace to be supported and
accompanied, to feel the affection of others! This is important in every phase
of life: no one can live alone and without help; the human being is relational.
And in this home I see, with pleasure, that all those who help and those who
are helped form one family, whose vital sap is love.

Dear elderly sisters and brothers, sometimes the days seem long
and empty, with difficulties, few obligations and meetings; never be
discouraged: you are a richness for society, also in suffering and in sickness.
And this phase of life is also a gift to deepen your relationship with God. The
example of Blessed John Paul II was and still is illuminating for all. Do not
forget that among the precious resources that you have is the essential one of
prayer: become intercessors before God, praying with faith and constancy. Pray
for the Church, also for me, for the needs of the world, for the poor, that
there be no more violence in the world. The prayer of the elderly can protect
the world, helping it, perhaps, in a more incisive way than the anxiety of so
many. I would like to entrust to your prayer today the well-being of the Church
and the peace of the world. The Pope loves you and counts on all of you! Feel
yourselves loved by God and be able to bring to our society, often so
individualistic and efficient, a ray of the love of God. And God will be with
you always and with all those who support you with their affection and help.

I entrust you all to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary,
who always accompanies us on our way with her maternal love, and I gladly
impart to each one my Blessing. Thank you all!

SPOKEN BEATS

Faces of Africa

PROFILING OUR CLERGY

GOLDEN HILL

SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN

ONCE AGAIN

“So once again, I, the LORD All-Powerful, tell you, "See that justice is done and be kind and merciful to one another! Don't mistreat widows or orphans or foreigners or anyone who is poor, and stop making plans to hurt each other."Zechariah 7:9-10 CEV

CITY HEIGHTS

NorthPark~San Diego, California USA

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CHRISTIANS IN RECOVERY

The International Christian Recovery Coalition is launching a new worldwide movement to establish Christian Recovery Resource Centers beginning January 1, 2011. These centers will provide access for Christians in recovery and those who want God’s help in overcoming alcoholism, drug addiction, at-risk behavior, and life-controlling problems. Full details on how to join and participate can be found on www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com.

We are especially hoping to see one or more centers established in the San Diego area.

NPCA

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After all, Brethren, the whole end of Theology is love. It seems hard to realize that that is so, but so it is. If your theology does not make you more loving, it has not Christianized you and to that extent is not a Christian theology... All ecclesiasticism and all doctrinalizing are in order to form character, and the soul of character is love. Preach the truth in love, and for the development of love.... Nathaniel J. Burton (1822-1887)